Terror Personified
by lana-la-banana
Summary: Danger looms around every corner as the Dark Lord continues to gain support. Hermione feels the terror as Hogwarts is attacked, causing her to lose the one she loved. In the battle's aftermath, she learns to find trust where she couldn't before.
1. Unknown Goodbye

Terror Personified  
  
By: lana-la-banana  
  
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DISCLAIMER- I am not affiliated with Joanne Kathleen Rowling or Warner Bros. Company and do not claim to own any of the characters in this story. I am not making any money off the creation of this work; I am writing it solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of others.  
  
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Hermione sat straight up in her bed, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Even in her half-awake state, she could sense something was wrong. Her dreams had been haunted by visions of the terrors that Voldemort and his followers unleashed every day. It seemed that her dreams had come alive. Up in her dormitory, she could hear the screams of terror and pain. Dumbledore said that it could never happen, but it had. Voldemort had attacked Hogwarts.  
  
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Hermione pulled on a robe as she hurriedly raced down the stone stairs, wishing she could go faster. Everyday the threat had grown more real and her anxiety increased. She slept in her clothes, ready for an assault at any hour of the day. And now the assault had come.  
  
She threw herself through the portrait-hole and into a realm of death. Bodies littered the ancient stone hallways of Hogwarts, unmarked by physical wounds but dead of the killing curse. Hermione's breath caught in her throat as her eyes caught on people she had spent her years at Hogwarts with. Neville. Justin. She averted her tear-filled eyes as she ran down the hallway, looking for a familiar, living face.  
  
A few more feet down the hallway, and she almost collided with someone coming from the adjacent hallway. It was Harry. A small trickle of blood slowly snaked it's way down the side of his face, but he was alive.  
  
"Hermione, thank god. I thought you were..." He didn't finish his sentence, but both knew how it would have ended.  
  
"What happened? Where's Dumbledore?"  
  
"Dumbledore's dead. The Deatheaters attacked about 15 minutes ago, and Dumbledore was killed as he was trying to protect the first years." Hermione looked at Harry and for a moment she saw that she wasn't the only one trying to choke down tears. "Hermione, you need to get out of here. Go down to the Transfiguration room. McGonagall's setting up portkeys to get the students out of here."  
  
"Harry, I'm not going to leave. I can fight."  
  
"They'll need strong students to protect the younger ones. They need you. Please, Hermione."  
  
"Harry, I can't leave you like this." A tear finally leaked out of her eye and clung to her cheek like a small crystal. Harry gently brushed it away with his thumb.  
  
"Hermione, I'll be fine. I know what I need to do." He leaned forward and kissed Hermione on the lips, bringing Hermione memories of better times they had had together. "Now go. Stay away from the main passageways and don't look back."  
  
"I won't." She paused for a moment. "I'll always love you Harry."  
  
Harry didn't say anything in return, but his eyes told her that he felt the same way. He pulled her into his arms for one last embrace before sprinting down a darkened hallway. Hermione started down another corridor before turning around for one glimpse before she left. Harry was a small figure in the distance, but his black hair was undeniable. Hermione felt a pang in her heart as she turned and ran. That was the last time she ever saw Harry Potter.  
  
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At the moment, it's Hermione/Harry, but I'm planning on making it Hermione/Draco sometime later in the story. This is my first really dramatic fic, and I'm hoping that I didn't overdo it. So please, drop me a review and tell me how I'm doing.  
  
~lana-la-banana 


	2. Battle for Hogwarts

Terror Personified

Chapter Two

Battle for Hogwarts

By: lana-la-banana

Inspired by the Harry Potter novels written by Joanne Kathleen Rowling  
  
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Hermione turned out of the first main passage way the first chance she got, going down a dark narrow passage that she had rarely used during her seven years at Hogwarts. She dared not use the lumos charm on her wand for fear she would be seen, so she treaded her path carefully though the ink-black route.  
  
After fifteen minutes of jogging through the dark, Hermione saw a dim light at the end of the tunnel and she slowed, making sure her sneakers were noiseless on the marble floor. She crept out into the Charms corridor, seeing no one, but hearing screams of horror resonate in the air around her.  
  
Finding the nearest staircase, she took the stairs two at a time. She could have found the way to the Transfiguration room in her sleep, but it seemed as though she was in was in a completely different building; the atmosphere of fright contrasting so greatly with the safeness she had formally felt within the castle walls. As she neared Professor McGonagall's classroom, a robed figure jumped out at her from behind a suit of armor, wand at the ready.  
  
Hermione had her wand primed for an attack, but it was for naught. Her attacker was Ginny Weasley, who was guarding the classroom from any unexpected visitors.  
  
"Thank god you're alive," Ginny said, throwing her arms around her friend. "Have you seen Ron?"  
  
"No, but I've just seen Harry. What does McGonagall need me to do?"  
  
"We have enough people guarding and at the relocation site, so the only other thing you can do is go try and find any survivors and direct them here. But Hermione, please be careful."  
  
"I'll try."  
  
"I'll make sure they don't leave without you," Ginny said before sliding back behind the armor, so neatly concealed that even a strand of red hair didn't show.  
  
Hermione doubled back, pacing through the halls without a sound, careful as not to disturb any of the lifeless bodies that littered the ground. Near the charms classroom, she found a group of second-years clinging together as a masked deatheater pointed his wand at them laughing maliciously.  
  
"Stupefy!" Hermione cried, hitting the wizard directly in the chest. He crumbled to the ground in a pile of black robes. Hermione flicked her wand and thin cords wrapped themselves around his body, binding him where he lay.  
  
"Hermione!" Hermione shushed them.  
  
"You four need to get up to McGonagall's classroom. She's transporting students to a safeplace, but you need to be quiet and get up there without being seen. Now go!"  
  
Hermione ran off down the corridor, leaving the younger students to make their journey by themselves.  
  
The hallway was startlingly void of human life, but Hermione could hear shouts descending from above so gritting her teeth, she sprinted up the stairs. There were more cadavers up on this floor than any other Hermione had seen and she had difficulty picking her way down the passage, but after a while, she gained her footing and was able to make more progress.  
  
She snuck up behind two deatheaters, both somewhat preoccupied with their whispered discussion about how they were going to torment the students they found. Hermione silently stunned them and they crumpled to the ground, never knowing what happened. After binding them and hiding them in a closet, Hermione continued her trek down the corridor.  
  
As she rounded a corner, a streak of light flashed past her, scraping her cheek and leaving a gash, but missing her head as a whole.  
  
"Protego." Hermione activated the shield charm around her, protecting her from most curses.  
  
A masked deatheater scurried behind a statue to block any spell she might send his way, but a second later, collapsed onto the ground. Hermione de- activated her charm but keep her wand ready to attack.  
  
Of all people, Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind the figurine.  
  
"You!" Hermione sent the disarming charm his way, but he easily blocked it.  
  
"Chill out, Granger, I'm not going to attack you."  
  
"And why should I believe you?" Hermione scoffed.  
  
Draco ignored the question. "There's no one still alive up here and they're about to leave. You need to get back to McGonagall's room before they disappear off the face of the world without you."  
  
"I haven't trusted you my whole life, why should now be any different?" Hermione spat.  
  
"Because all those times, your life wasn't on the line."  
  
"And it is now? I can take care of myself, thank you very much."  
  
Another blast rocketed past them and Draco pulled Hermione into the crevice behind the statue.  
  
"You don't belong fighting here. You deserve to live past this battle. Now go!"  
  
He pushed her towards the staircase and flung himself out to shield her as she ran. Hermione sprinted, leaving all her apprehensions behind with Draco. Spells struck the ground around her, but she made it down the stairs unscathed.  
  
Ginny was no longer guarding the pathway to the Transfiguration classroom, and Hermione pushed open the classroom door to find the room almost deserted except for the Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout, and a few assorted Prefects, all of whom were deep in conversation with the Hogwart's whole host of ghosts.  
  
"Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall's face was drawn and white, and she seemed to have aged ten years from when she saw her last. "Have you found anyone else?"  
  
"None alive." Hermione somberly made her report.  
  
"The ghosts have searched the dormitories and the dungeons and found none. I think it's time for us to leave as well." She summoned a book from her desk and tapped it with her wand. "Portus."  
  
Everyone reached in and just as they were about to touch it, the door flew open and Draco Malfoy ran in.  
  
"Deatheaters! At least twenty-five strong heading this way!"  
  
Hermione watched Professor McGonagall carefully. She could see that in her eyes, she didn't trust Draco one bit, but she wasn't about to leave him at the mercy of the Deatheaters.  
  
"Well, get in then." Draco squeezed in next to Hermione, his hand poised above the book.  
  
"One... two... three."  
  
Hermione's fingers touched the cool leather cover, and she felt a jerk under her naval.  
  
She was on her way to the safe place, and Draco was coming along with them.

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Leave me a review and tell me what you think!

=-=- lana-la-banana =-=-


	3. Mountain Retreat

**Terror Personified**  
  
Chapter Three: Mountain Retreat  
  
By: lana-la-banana  
  
_Inspired by the Harry Potter novels by Joanne Kathleen Rowling  
_  
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The world was swirling around her for a moment, and then the earth came back into focus, surprising Hermione enough that she lost her balance, falling backwards onto the ground. Instinctively, she wrapped her cloak tighter around her shoulders, for the temperature had dropped at least forty degrees from the warmth of Hogwarts. Snow blew through the air, chapping their lips and obscuring vision almost to the point of blindness.  
  
"Welcome to the Himalayas," McGonagall yelled, her voice barely audible above the roaring winds. "This way and hold onto someone so we don't get split up."  
  
Hermione grabbed the hand closest to her and McGonagall took hers, until all eight people were linked together—an odd little procession of people making their way through the drifts.  
  
They had been walking for fifteen minutes and Hermione was beginning to lose hope of ever regaining feeling in her toes again. Her teeth were chattering like crazy and her entire body was shaking from the freezing temperatures of the climate.  
  
Just when she thought she couldn't take another step, in the distance appeared a building. Not a castle by any means, but a good-sized building wedged into the mountains. As they drew closer, Hermione began to make out more details—the dark wood of the façade, the drawn windows that covered the front, the marble steps leading up to the front door.  
  
McGonagall placed her hand on the door handle and concentrated hard for a moment before the door swung open. Inside, the house was a fury of activity. People were running, trying to find family, friends, food, a bed to sleep in. First years sat teary-eyed in a corner, scared out of their wits, and missing their families.  
  
The group had barely closed the door where they were rounded up by Madam Pomfrey who took them into a room off the kitchen where she wrapped them all in blankets and rather forcefully gave them all Pepper-Up potion and hot chocolate.  
  
Hermione sat sipping her hot chocolate, as Professor McGonagall briefed them all on the house's purpose.  
  
"Dumbledore had this house erected three years ago, just after You-know-who returned as a safe-house for Hogwarts students, if ever the need arose. He had a number of enchantments placed on it, as you can imagine—Unplottable, invisible to the muggle eye, untrackable. He made sure that it was equipped with everything we needed, but we never thought we would have to use it."  
  
McGonagall fell silent and Hermione knew she was mourning Dumbledore's death and felt bad for intruding on what had to be a difficult moment for her beloved teacher. She slipped the blanket off her shoulders, and left the room, followed by the rest of the Prefects and Draco.  
  
Back in the chaos of the house, Hermione inquired about Ginny and a fifth- year Hufflepuff directed her up the staircase.  
  
'Dumbledore knew what he was doing,' Hermione thought as she climbed up the stairs. The house was enchanted to be larger than it appeared from the front and provided every comfort that Hogwarts had, with a homier feel. The downstairs was wood-paneled with scarlet silk covered mahogany furniture and the stairs leading up had a thick carpet runner stretching the entire length. Hermione followed the twisting staircase past countless bedrooms, peeking her head in each in an effort to locate Ginny.  
  
She was drawing near to the top of the house when a door swung open and a head of Weasley red hair poked out.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione took the last few steps two at a time and wrapped her best friend in a tight hug. "Is Ginny here? And Harry?"  
  
Ginny poked her head out from around the door when she heard Hermione's voice, then gave her a tight hug.  
  
"Are you alright? We were so worried."  
  
"I'm fine. Have either of you seen Harry?"  
  
The two siblings exchanged glances. "He's not here. We thought he was going to be with you and your group."  
  
"He's not here?" Hermione repeated, her brain unwilling to comprehend this new information.  
  
As she finally absorbed the news, she sunk down onto the wooden step, burying her head in her arms as hot salty tears streamed out of her eyes. She could feel Ron and Ginny rubbing her back and talking in low, sympathetic voices.  
  
"There's still a chance, Hermione. There's always still a chance."  
  
But Hermione could feel, deep down inside her, that he was gone.  
  
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**Please drop me a review...**

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Chocolate Skittle— To answer your question about the time gap, the only really plausible explanation is that I have had no time whatsoever. I started this story mainly because I was bored during Sophomore Seminar and wasn't really planning to continue it. I've been focusing a lot more on my other story, New Worlds, New Views. But, if you really want to know, during the school year I'm busy with honors classes, keeping up my GPA, Academic Decathlon, attending meetings for two youth groups, fundraisers for my service trip, and trying to find some time to hang out with my friends. This summer, I spent eighteen days in the Dominican Republic doing service work, went canoeing with my youth group, have been attending weekly core meetings, and have started working 35 hours at a week at my job. I have really not had any time for writing, and that time is not likely to increase, seeing as how writing's my leisure activity and not something I'm planning on majoring in any time in the near future. I hope that answers your question and I'm sorry if I was a little rude in answering it.  
  
_lana-la-banana_


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